Tag Archives: Christina Lauren

Something Wilder — Christina Lauren

“I had to let you go once, (…) you think I’m letting that happen again?”

Author: Christina Lauren
Narrated by: Christina Lauren, Patti Murin, and Jon Root

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
Spicy Meter: 3 fire emojis
Narration: 4 mikes
Content Warnings: Discusses parent death, murder, and kidnapping. Describes hiking and violent injuries. Has explicit sexual content.

“Something Wilder” follows Lily Wilder, daughter of a notorious treasure hunter, and Leo Grady, her first (and, really, only) love, as they are reunited by chance in the middle of the wilderness they adored. A series of events sends them through the treasure-hunting trip of a lifetime. This is definitely an adventure you don’t want to miss.

Have you ever wanted to tackle a lovers-to-estranged-enemies-to-lovers trope book? Well, here’s your chance. “Something Wilder” will take you on horse rides and hikes that only few get a chance to see, all while reuniting two soulmates that only drifted apart due to distance and miscommunication.

I liked the narration of this audiobook, but it took me a few chapter to get used to Leo’s voice—it just wasn’t my cup if tea, but then I learned to love it. If you’re going to grab this book, definitely consider listening to it as an audiobook, it helped the visualization aspect for me, which in this adventure book was a plus.

This wasn’t my favorite Christina Lauren book, both plot- and spicy-wise, but I still enjoyed it truly. I found it weird that the villains could rationalize truly insane behaviors, it almost had a cowboy-soap-opera feel to it. The bad guys were just ridiculous.

But either way, if you’re looking for an outdoorsy romance that has its fair bit of adventure, treasure hunting, and code breaking, then “Something Wilder” is for you.

If you click here, you’ll be redirected to Goodreads, so you can add the book to your TBR list.

Or you could click here, and be redirected to Amazon, so you can order the book.

In a Holidaze — Christina Lauren

“The only person whose expectations you have to live up to is yourself.”

Genre: Romance, Comedy
Actual Rating: 4 stars
Content Warnings: None that I can think of.

Have you ever seen a time-loop kind of movie? Like Groundhog Day or Before I Fall? Well, this is just that but in a book, and surrounding the holidays. This book follows Maelyn Jones as she is stuck reliving her Christmas holiday week after wishing for a shot to find happiness. And oh, does she find it.

“In a Holidaze” did not take the path I thought it would. Maelyn does not end up with who I thought she would end up with, but good for her, I guess. I liked it anyways.

This is a light, funny read, set in a cozy cabin in the middle of Utah. It’s literally a perfect holiday read. It’s surrounding Christmas but isn’t solely about the holiday, and it’s short and snappy. I mean, what can I say? The duo Christina Lauren never disappoints.

I would recommend this book to people who’ve read other Christina Lauren books and loved them. I would not necessarily recommend this be your first exposure to the authors, as they have longer, better-constructed books (like “The Unhoneymooners” or “The Soulmate Equation”), but “In a Holidaze” is a good holiday-y read.

If you click here, you’ll be redirected to Goodreads, so you can add the book to your TBR list.

Or you could click here, and be redirected to Amazon, so you can order the book.

Roomies — Christina Lauren

“I’ve never done this before. I just know I’m falling for the girl I married.”

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 4 stars
Content Warnings: None than I can think of.

“Roomies” follows Holland, an aspiring author who’s working in a Broadway show thanks to some lowkey nepotism, and her subway crush Calvin, a talented classical guitarist who’s overstayed his student visa and is trying to make ends meet in New York City. One thing leads to another, and they end up in a marriage of convenience, where Holland is helping her uncle and Calvin is getting his green card. But after real sparks fly, will they follow through on their plan or will they listen to their hearts?

Oh, wow. I love the Christina Lauren duo. Their writing has always engulfed me, bringing me into whatever world they build. This time around they didn’t disappoint, but at the same time, I think I’ve never been this frustrated with two of their characters before. I’m not sure who messed up more, Calvin or Holland, but HOLY did they mess up. Continuously. Consistently. Making each mess up increasingly worse. The only reason why I’m not giving it a higher rating is because of all the stress and frustration I suffered thanks to their fuck ups. But oh well, it’s a good romance novel when all’s been said and done.

I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy romance novels, especially if you’ve enjoyed books by authors like Colleen Hoover, Emily Henry, Sally Thorne, or Alexis Daria.

If you click here, you’ll be redirected to Goodreads, so you can add the book to your TBR list.

Or you could click here, and be redirected to Amazon, so you can order the book.

“Maybe the reason I can’t write about fictional life is because I haven’t actually lived.”